NFL Free Agency 2020: Best landing spot for top 20 players
By Phil Watson
. philip rivers. . player. 46. .
After the Indianapolis Colts faltered down the stretch with five losses in their final six games and missed the playoffs, speculation has been strong the Colts could be in play for veteran quarterback Philip Rivers as a replacement for incumbent Jacoby Brissett.
Rivers won’t be back with the Los Angeles Chargers after 16 seasons with the organization, two as a backup to Drew Brees and the last 14 as their No. 1 guy, starting 224 consecutive regular-season games and 11 more in the playoffs, the second-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history behind Brett Favre’s 297 and 321.
The Chargers said their goodbyes to Rivers on social media on Feb. 10 and according to Sam Farmer of The Los Angeles Times, the veteran would like to play at most two more seasons.
"“I can say for certain that if I’m playing, it’s a two-year maximum. Whoever the suitors are, I think that would be their hope as well. Because you never know how it goes. Shoot, if we stink it up after one year, I’m probably done. If we play really good, they’ll probably want to go again.”"
After leading the Chargers to the playoffs each of the team’s first two seasons back in L.A., the club collapsed to a 5-11 record last season and Rivers had the turnover bug with 20 interceptions and three lost fumbles.
He completed 66.0 percent of his passes for 4,615 yards and 23 touchdowns, the seventh straight season and the 11th time overall that Rivers has topped the 4,000-yard barrier. His 59,271 career yards ranks sixth on the NFL’s all-time list.
Rivers was selected fourth overall by the Giants in the 2004 NFL Draft out of North Carolina State, but his rights were shipped to San Diego for the rights to No. 1 overall pick Eli Manning, who retired after the 2019 season with two Super Bowl wins and a very complicated legacy.
San Diego is just 5-6 in the postseason with Rivers at the helm, getting to the AFC Championship just once, a 21-12 loss at New England after the 2007 season. Manning and the Giants knocked off the unbeaten Patriots two weeks later in Super Bowl XLII.